Bridesmaid for Hire

by Chance Carter

  “You were the one who hired her.”

  “Because she takes the best photos in Portland,” I replied. “I never realized her secret was torture.”

  “Drama queen,” Levi said under his breath. I nearly missed it, since he was on Garrick’s far side, but Levi’s smirk was all I needed to know he’d uttered the words.

  “Okay, smile people,” Dawn called.

  I amped the wattage of my smile to a near blinding level. Ignoring the cold was one thing, but ignoring Levi’s cavalier attitude all day was another. Either he was doing a superb job of pretending that last night’s kiss debacle never happened, or he was more drunk than I thought and didn’t remember it. All day he’d been smiling, laughing, goofing off with his family, and treating me like it was business as usual.

  I knew he couldn’t have been that drunk. That meant he remembered me rejecting him and for some reason it didn’t bother him, which only made me happier that I did reject him.

  I was right.

  Levi didn’t have any feelings deeper than lust for me and it hurt like hell. But today was not the day for moping, so I’d been doing my best to act as though nothing was wrong and make sure Val and Garrick had the best day possible.

  The ceremony went off without a hitch, and we had all the ingredients for a successful reception as well. If my one issue was the invasion of goosebumps on my skin, I could handle that. Photos would be over soon, and then I could go back inside where it was warm and there was alcohol.

  “Okay, you’re all set,” Dawn announced a few minutes later. “I’ll see you inside.”

  I all but sprinted inside, leaving Garrick and Val in the dust. They still had to make their grand entrance as man and wife, so they couldn’t be seen in the reception hall yet, but I was free and clear to get in there and start drinking. I wasn’t going to get wasted, but a steady buzz would do me just fine.

  I slipped in the doors and set the bar in my sights. There was a long line, but a group of Val’s cousins—Josh not included—were milling at the back of it so I didn’t mind. I made a point of getting to know the guests of any wedding I attended, but over the past couple of days I’d cranked my socialization into overdrive since it made it easier to avoid Levi. There were a few people here that I might even consider friends now.

  Just as I started walking to the bar, Levi’s deep baritone stopped me in my tracks. “Frankie.”

  I winced. So close.

  Turning, I offered up a neutral smile. “Hey, what’s up?”

  Oh yeah, that sounded casual.

  Levi approached me, looking more serious than he had all day. “Can I talk to you?”

  Here it was. I didn’t know what he was going to say but I doubted I would enjoy it. Was it too much to ask for just a few hours of peace from him so I didn’t screw up Val’s wedding?

  I scrambled for an excuse. “Actually, I was just going to check on the catering. Sorry.”

  I zoomed off in the direction of the kitchen and Levi didn’t stop me. They’d probably have some wine in there I could steal a glass of.

  The kitchen was a hive of activity. The queen bee, catering manager Claudia Hines, stood at the far end of the room observing the chaos calmly, calling out directions as she saw fit.

  “Hey, Claudia,” I greeted.

  “Frankie.”

  She was a no-nonsense kind of woman, which made her excellent at her job. Didn’t make her a great conversationalist.

  “I came to check and see that everything was going well.”

  She nodded. “It is.”

  I paused a second, trying to decide if avoiding Levi was worth drawing out the conversation. In the end, I decided it wasn’t.

  “Great. I’ll see you out there.”

  I left the kitchen by the back door, which led me to the hallway outside of the reception hall. I had about fifteen minutes before Garrick and Val made their entrance, so I leaned against the wall and took a minute to breathe.

  Xavier turned the corner with a case of wine on his way to the kitchen. He stopped when he saw me, smiling.

  “You look absolutely stunning, Frankie,” he said. “Save a dance for me later?” With a wink, he added, “Or will Levi get upset?”

  “Levi?” I said with a bark of a laugh. “I think you’re good in that department.”

  “You sure?” He hoisted the case up further. “That man is smitten with you, darling.”

  I cocked a quizzical brow. “That sounds like something you couldn’t possibly know.”

  Xavier, though obviously struggling under the weight of the wine, appeared unruffled as he spoke. “I’ve seen it a million times. He’s a goner.”

  “Oh yeah? Seen it a million times with your sage bartender wisdom?”

  He snorted. “I’ve seen it a million times just from being a human and interacting with other humans. Being a bartender doesn’t make you a shrink.” He adjusted the box one more time and nodded at me before going to walk away. “I was wise as hell before I ever touched a tap.”

  I watched Xavier go, disappearing into the kitchen, wondering if there was any truth in what he said. There couldn’t be. Xavier was a nice guy and a great listener, but I doubted he could pick up on anything more from Levi than I had.

  I shook off these thoughts and refocused on the task at hand. The wedding. Val’s wedding. I needed my head in the game since I wasn’t off the clock yet. I still had my speech to make, and I still had to make sure everything went smoothly for the rest of the evening, though I had all the faith in the world in the hotel staff and the people I’d brought in.

  I took a breath and walked down to the reception entrance, slipping around the doorframe and scanning the room for signs of Levi. Nothing. Now that he wasn’t here, I started to wonder what he wanted to talk to me about. Realizing this wasn’t a productive use of my brain power, I went to the DJ and double checked that he had everything he needed for the bride and groom’s entrance.

  Afterward, I finally grabbed a glass of wine from the bar and loitered near the head table. One minute before the scheduled entrance, Levi appeared at the other side of the table with a glass of whiskey. He didn’t look at me. Was he mad at me now? Had he been about to say something sweet and I screwed everything up?

  Gah! This wasn’t the time or the place for me to stress about this!

  Thirty seconds.

  I took a sip of my wine that turned into more of a chug. I glanced at Levi. Still nothing.

  No. Stop looking.

  Ten seconds.

  I had just enough time to...what? I didn’t have any time at all. This was Val’s wedding.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ announced.

  And my time was up.

  I kept stealing glances at Levi throughout dinner. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop wondering what he’d been about to say to me. Xavier had officially ruined me. I’d had a great line of defense before he came along with his stupid observations, and now all the hard work that I’d put into being calm and not thinking about Levi had gone down the drain.

  I decided to try my best to worry about it later. I had all night to get through, and I could at least put it off until after Val and Garrick’s first dance.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, can I get everyone’s attention to the dance floor.”

  Speaking of which.

  I followed the flow of the crowd, which formed a circle around where Val and Garrick stood holding each other on the lacquered floor. There were hundreds of guests here, but they only had eyes for each other as the music began to play.

  I’d never seen either of them smile with so much unfiltered joy and my eyes stung. If I made it through the night without bawling my eyes out, I would be extremely surprised.

  Something caught my eye near the DJ booth and I looked over. Levi stood next to the speakers, leaning over to say something into the DJ’s ear. What was he up to? If he wanted to surprise Val and Garrick with something he should have run it past me. The DJ nodded and gave a thumb
s up, and Levi stepped down from the platform.

  I had half a mind to march up to him right now and demand to know what his game was, but while I was gathering the nerve the crowd swallowed him up. He disappeared.

  I decided not to leave the dance floor until I figured out what he’d done.

  A couple songs went by without incident. Val and Garrick were still swaying in the middle of the floor, but other couples had joined them and filled in the empty space. I felt like a total weirdo just skulking at the edge of the dance floor, and was about to go back to my seat, when the song ended and the DJ took the mike.

  “Alright folks,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “This one goes out to Frankie.”

  The room filled with cheers and hoots. A preening sense of satisfaction momentarily overrode my confusion, but it soon returned when the sound of a crooning saxophone spilled through the speakers.

  I shot a glance over to the stage, wondering if I’d find a saxophone player up there and if I was dreaming. A second later I realized what was happening. The DJ was playing “Careless Whisper”.

  What the hell?

  “Frankie.”

  I spun to face Levi, who stood behind me.

  Woah, deja vu much?

  “Levi,” I said, blinking. “Hey.”

  He extended a hand toward me. “Would you like to dance?”

  “Uh, sure.” I said, taking it uncertainly as I tried to figure out what was going on.

  Levi led me to the middle of the dance floor, which cleared around us. A few people swayed near the edges of the floor but kept their distance.

  Levi took my hand and slid an arm around my waist, pulling me close.

  He leaned down to speak in my ear. “I didn’t know how else to get your attention. I need to talk to you.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize.”

  He chuckled. “Liar.”

  Levi spun me, and when he pulled me back I met his gaze and chewed on my lip.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Levi swallowed, and his features flickered with something I’d never seen on him before—nervousness.

  “I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry. For everything. I’ve said and done a lot of things that have hurt you. I’ve been pushing people away for so long that I’ve gotten too good at it, and sometimes it seems like it’s my natural state.”

  All this for an apology? I didn’t understand it but I certainly wasn’t going to turn it down.

  “Apology accepted.”

  Levi shook his head. “I’m not finished.” He spun me, just as the song reached the crescendo of the chorus. My chest tightened and pulse raced, eager to hear what else he had to say. Once I was back in his arms, I stared deep into his eyes and waited.

  Levi’s lip ticked at the corner. “I love your blog.”

  Huh. Not what I was expecting.

  He continued. “I love that you have every reason to scowl at love and marriage but you don’t. You don’t scowl at anything, besides me from time to time. You chose to celebrate the same things I let beat me down, and when we first met I couldn’t believe that such a thing was possible and so I didn’t believe in you.”

  He let go of my hand and brushed his thumb over my cheek. My heart stopped.

  “Frankie, I believe in you now. You’re more real to me than anything I’ve ever known and I want to be with you.” Levi held my gaze, dark eyes swallowing me whole. “I love you.”

  The words tumbled from my lips as naturally as breath. “I love you too.”

  Levi’s face relaxed into a smile and pressed his lips to mine. They were as sweet as cotton candy.

  Chapter 34

  Levi

  Frankie went in for a second hug and Val laughed, giving her friend an extra squeeze before she released her.

  “I can’t believe I won’t see you for three whole weeks,” Frankie moaned. “You’re sure you don’t want to have your honeymoon in Portland? I hear it’s nice and rainy this time of year.”

  Val tapped her index finger on her chin. “Hmm. Tempting. I think we’ll stick with Tahiti.”

  “Text me when you get to the airport in the morning.”

  “Our flight’s at seven,” Val replied. “You’ll probably still be asleep.”

  Frankie shook her head. “Don’t care. Text me.”

  “Okay, Mom, geez.” Val rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m going to bring you back the tackiest t-shirt you’ve ever seen.”

  “You better send me an inappropriate postcard too. Something with nudity.”

  Garrick, who’d been hanging by Val’s side and watching the exchange, came to stand beside me while the girls discussed souvenirs. He clapped me on the back.

  “You finally made the leap with Frankie,” he said. “Cheesy song choice, but I can respect the gesture.”

  “I refuse to hear style criticisms from a man who packed primarily Hawaiian shirts for his honeymoon.”

  Garrick laughed. “You won’t let me wear them to the office. What else am I supposed to do?”

  “For the last time, just because they have a collar does not make them business casual.”

  “Ah, I’m going to miss you,” Garrick said. “But it’s good to know you won’t be lonely while I’m gone. Frankie’s a great girl.”

  Ahead of us, Frankie and Val were enjoying their fourth hug and a smile tugged onto my lips.

  “She is, isn’t she?”

  Val and Frankie separated and the teary-eyed bride came over to grab her husband’s hand. “Ready?”

  Garrick pecked her on the lips. “I’ve been ready for this since the first day we met.”

  “I wouldn’t speak so soon,” Val said, wrinkling her nose. “I ate my weight in pasta salad at dinner and I’m not sure you’re going to be able to carry me over the threshold.”

  Garrick brushed his fingers over her lips tenderly. “I’ll roll you in.”

  “I love you,” Val said.

  “I love you too.”

  I stepped around them as they started making out and took Frankie into my arms. Her cheeks were pink from a night of dancing and drinking, but her eyes were clear and bright. She rose on her tip toes and kissed my jaw.

  “Gross, get a room,” Garrick called.

  “Are you still here?” I retorted. “Get out of here. It’s your wedding night.”

  He and Val laughed and we all made our final goodbyes. Frankie and Val went in for hug number five. I went for a firm handshake with Garrick, but he pulled me in for a hug instead. They waved to us again at the elevator, and then they were gone.

  The lobby was empty besides us, with everyone still partying in the reception hall. After a long night of revelry, the quiet was nice.

  “You know,” Frankie said, “I just thought of something.”

  I brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes. “What’s that?”

  “Neither of us have roommates anymore. What if the power goes out tonight? It could be hazardous.”

  I blocked my brow and nodded studiously. “You’re right. The best option would be for us to cohabit.”

  “And maybe we should go check the room now? To make sure we’ve got a flashlight?” She batted her lashes. “You know, just to be safe.”

  My cock zapped to life. I slid my hands around her waist and rested them low on her back, fingers curving around the top of her luscious ass.

  “I like the way you think.”

  Frankie grinned and we started toward the elevator.

  “Let’s go to my room,” I said. “It’s closer.”

  She shot me a quizzical look. “Only by a few feet.”

  The elevator doors slid open and I guided her inside, lips at the shell of her ear as I pressed the floor number. “Sweetheart, I don’t even know if I can wait the length of this elevator ride to tear your clothes off.”

  She shivered.

  The doors closed and I slammed Frankie into the wall, hiking up her dress and wrapping one silky leg around my hips as my mouth cl
aimed hers in a hard kiss. Frankie moaned in surprise. I ground my bulge into her and she moaned again for another reason entirely.

  We grappled with each other the whole elevator ride—hands roaming, searching, gripping. By the time the doors opened, we were both panting feverishly.

  I grabbed Frankie’s hand and ran for the room, laughing. That was just one of the many things I loved about Frankie. No matter what we were doing, I always had fun with her.

  I unlocked the door and flung it open, pulling Frankie into the darkened room and heading straight for the bed.

  “I’ve missed this,” she said.

  “I’ve missed you.” I grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her onto the bed. She bounced once and shrieked in surprise.

  “This dress would be a lot easier to take off standing up,” she said.

  I chuckled, pulling at my tie and unbuttoning my shirt. “I don’t care. I like seeing you spread out on my bed. It reminds me of the night I tied you up and ate your pussy while you were completely helpless.”

  Frankie chewed her lip hungrily and pushed herself up on her elbows. “I think about that all the time.”

  “Yeah?” I stripped my shirt off and started working on my pants. “Does it make you wet?”

  “Come over here and find out.”

  A growl ripped from my throat. My pants and boxers fell to the floor and I covered Frankie with my body, reveling in the sensation of my naked skin against the silky fabric of her dress.

  I captured her mouth and kissed her hard and deep, showing her exactly how much I wanted her. She sighed against my mouth and moaned when I nipped her bottom lip. My cock throbbed insistently.

  “Turn over,” I instructed.

  Frankie didn’t hesitate a beat. She flipped onto her stomach, pulling her hair to the side to allow me access to her throat.

  “Good girl,” I murmured.

  I kissed the back of her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin there, and started pulling on the zipper of her dress, revealing her back inch by inch. My fingertips traced the path of the zipper. I reached the bottom and parted the material, kissing over her shoulder blades and down to the base of her spine. Gooseflesh rose in my wake and Frankie shivered.